To start the meeting, Fire Territory Attorney Andrew Grossnickle gave the oath of office to board members Mayor Joseph Thallemer, Jeanie Stackhouse and Gordon Nash. The vacancy created by Joseph Streeter moving out of the territory area has yet to be filled. Board Member Mike Klondaris was absent from the meeting.

The board then approved reappointing Shirley Fetrow as recording secretary and Andrew Grossnickle as fire territory attorney for 2019.

Fire Chief Micheal Wilson informed the board that Mickey Scott, fire chief of Turkey Creek Fire Territory, recently applied for and received a grant from the K21 Health Foundation. The grant was for $330,144 to replace 10 cardiac monitors/defibrillators. Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory will receive four units, Turkey Creek Fire Territory will receive four units and North Webster/Tippecanoe Township will receive two units.

These units will replace the current units that are in need of repair but no longer able to be repaired. The K21 Health Foundation also provided the grant used to purchase that equipment in 2016. Part of the agreement is that the equipment will be traded in for credit towards the new purchase.

“It’s a smart move for us to move forward with this equipment,” said Wilson.

He explained that this new equipment works together with the local hospitals’ equipment. This means that when a patient is transported to the hospital, their equipment doesn’t need to be changed in a critical situation where time is of the essence.

The board approved accepting the grant.

Thallemer spoke briefly of the passing of recent board member Sheila Burner. He told the board that her viewing is from 4-8 p.m., today, Jan. 3, in St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, 424 W Market St, Warsaw. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Friday, Jan. 4, also at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.